Trying to plan a first trip to Yellowstone and GTNP sometime in June, 2010 for about 7 to 9 days. I am getting overwhelmed in trying to figure out lodging, etc. Would it make sense at all to stay somewhere centrally located in Yellowstone, say in the Canyon Village or Lake Village area for 4 or 5 consecutive days instead of staying one or two nights per location in the park? Have also thought of staying outside the park and going in just for day trips? We just don't like 1 night here, another night there, but I can do that if that is the best way to see as much as we can. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions. This is a trip I have wanted to do for a long time, but planning this is just becoming stressful.

In my opinion, staying in the park is the best solution.
This last summer we've stayed 2 nights in Old faithfull snow inn and 3 nights in Canyon village.Lake Yellowstone could be also a "central option".
If you are hikers, so you have not to drive a lot before arriving at trailheads.If you are not, you can be on the highlights at time where others are on the road to their lodging...
In Canyon, the frontier cabins(the one renovated) were 92$ a night with 2 queen, a shower and coffemaker.
At Old F. Snowinn, the western cabin were more expensive(125/130$) but bigger, with tub.
Both are quiet, middle of the nature/Canyon lodge, far from agitation on Old faithfull.
There are a lot of diner option in Old faithfull area, but Obsidien room at snow inn was good.Waiting time is not so long, but we were in July, so less for you in June.
In Canyon, the restaurant is not bad, the deli is like a college cafetaria, the 50'style diner at the great souvenir shop is burger and lipid.Waiting time at the restaurant could be long but in June I think it will be better...
I've made a trip report of our vacation(just click on my name to find it...).
NB : we 'll come back next year and if there is avalaibility, we'll choose the same accomodation.
Erik

When in June are you going? Canyon doesn't open until the second weekend in June (Memorial Day is late this year). I have always said there isn't really a right or wrong way to do these parks so don't fret too much. As a starting point I would probably stay 5 nights in Yellowstone and 2 in Tetons. We have done the whole week at Canyon and also the 1 or 2 nights different places (and stayed outside the park). Canyon and Lake aren't that far apart so I would stay at one or the other. Gardiner is only about 5 miles from Mammoth, so if you want a couple nights outside of the park (with TV, internet, etc.) that is an option. It is nice to stay at Old Faithful (it is really crowded during the day and nice to be there in the evening when the crowds are gone - but 2 nights would be the absolute most for us there -- in fact one night was fine). Also, there is plenty to do between Old Faithful and Madison. You can easily do the Old Faithful area from Canyon also. At the beginning of June especially the animal rich area is in the northeast.

It can be a pain checking out and then back in somewhere else so although you save time in driving we feel that moving around alot takes away from the time we have to do/see things. To some people it is worth it -- you have to make that determination yourself. Make your reservations now inside the park (you can cancel without penalty until a couple of days nearer your travel) and at least have them. You do have to pay a nights fee at each place you stay now -- but people cancel all the time and you can usually change them around if you want to as you continue to plan. Maybe one night at OF, 2-3 at Canyon and 1-2 in the north. Or the 2 nights at OF and 3 at Canyon as suggested above would work also. We are really into the animals so like spending more time in the north, but to see everything you want (you can't possibly do everything there anyway)on a first visit and not move as much that might work better for you. You can easily tour the upper loop from Canyon (as long as Dunraven Pass is open -- which it should be then).

As far as GTNP it depends if you want to be in the park or in Jackson. Again I'd make them now in the park (there is a small fee-- at Signal Mountain it is $10 a night for cancelling) if you want to stay there. Jackson is only about 15 minutes from the southern part of the Tetons and therefore closer to the southern part of the park -- so distancewise it really doesn't matter where you stay. All the lodging is close to each other, so where you stay inside the park doesn't matter distancewise either. GTNP is not a big area -- again some people will tell you to definitely stay inside the park and others like staying in Jackson (with restaurants, etc.). We do both -- there are advantages to either, but really depends on what you want.

Just my opinions, but hope it helps you get started -- it can be very confusing because there are so many options.

Here is a web page with some good suggestions and an interactive map with travel times, etc.

http://www.alandsuejohnson.com/

Also the nps.gov web site is good if you haven't seen it yet -- especially for road closures.

Can empathize with your situation - when we planned our trip a few years ago it seemd over-whelming as well. But also agree with above poster - it is hard to really screw it up, largely because road within Yellowstone is a giant "figure 8" - you don't get a lot of choices while there.

What worked for us was a few days in Jackson area/GTNP, then a few days at West Yellowstone and a few more days in Gardiner. We stayed outside the Parks because we were not certain of dates until the late spring. Of the various National Parks we have visited, GTNP and YNP work well to stay inside or outside the Park boundaries. There are towns with lodging within less than a mile of the entrance and stuff to see immediately upon entering Parks - unlike, for example, Grand Canyon, where it is quite a ride in on park roads to get to Canyon.

While inside Parks gives you atmosphere and history, we were traveling with internet-addicted teens and DH who also wants to stay connected. I decided to pick my battles - Parks during the day, electronic nonsense at night.

Get a guidebook that lists sights in order of appearance along the roadway - then just get in your car each AM, drive, see what looks interesting. You will get pleasantly delayed by the unexpected - usually something like bison blocking the road or moose and calf off to the side - so don't overplan.

Bring or buy a cooler for lunches and drinks. While park services are a reasonable distance apart, you don't want to be viewing something interesting and have to ride off in the distance in search of food, then back-tracking. Do some exploring of some of the perimeter towns - I found West Yellowstone and Gardiner interesting and had some great conversations with local people. We caught a local rodeo in West Yellowstone and I think we were the only non-locals there. Consider doing a float trip (usually from Jackson area) or some white water rafting (from Gardiner area is good).

We took a 9 day trip in mid June 2009 with a family of 9. Some thoughts:

I would stay put in one area. We stayed at the Old Faitful Snow Lodge cabins and drove to the various areas of the park and it worked out very well. The drives are not bad if you get an early start and the scenery is awesome. The crowds at Old Faithful were not bad and it is fairly centrally located in the figure 8 loop.

I would NOT stay outside of the park. This will cost you hours of precious time and will exhaust you. We found the Snow Lodge cabins to be reasonably priced, and the Old Faithful area has an abundance of ammenities.

The stress in planning your trip will be well worth it once you get there. Truly a memorable trip for our family.
Good Luck

We just returned with our 2 young daughters from 9 amazing days in YNP and GTNP and after lots of research and cross-referencing on tripadvisor.com we ended up with the following...

3 nights in Gardiner (Electric Peak Cabin)...explored the northern loop of the park from the Roosevelt Arch entrance down thru Mammoth and Norris as well as the Lamar Valley

2 nights Old Faithful Inn (rustic section, not the newer section)...explored Tower/Roosevelt on the way there, West Thumb, Yellowstone Lake and all of the geysers/hot springs during our stay

3 nights at Signal Mountain Lodge in GTNP (lakefront retreat)...mostly wildlife spotting, visits to historic cabins, a day in Jackson, did one hike at Jenny Lake, rented a boat for an hour on Jackson Lake

It was a bit of moving around but we wouldn't have changed anything except add another night to Old Faithful Inn so we could a little more time exploring the sights east and west on the loop. Old Faithful Inn was beautiful, especially early morning and after dinnertime when the day crowds weren't around...nice place to take it easy after a day of sightseeing. Some research ahead of time and we were able to plan a really great daily itinerary - saw lots of different wildlife in all areas of the parks, saw all of the major sights from our 3 base camps with ample "downtime," and now can't wait to go back again! Good luck with your planning!

You can stay in one place (even at the park boundaries, like Gardiner, about a mile or so outside Mammoth) with no problems. The park is basically a big figure 8; you can do the top loop one day, the bottom another, revisit certain sites for more extensive hiking or viewing after "skimming" through. It's a big park, but you can manage and enjoy it easily in the time you have. We been many many times, and I wouldn't say there's one way that's superior to any other (for example, I avoid Old Faithful and environs like the plague!). Just go and enjoy (and start making your plans for the next visit; you'll want to come back!).

Thanks so much for all of your suggestions. We don't like the hassle of checking in and out all over the place and would rather spend time looking for the wildlife, hiking or just enjoying the scenery. Sounds like we won't mess up too much if we do that. I'd planned on taking getting cooler and stocking up when we arrive so we won't be out looking for food. I have checked the Park website and there are some places available, Canyon area and also Lake Yellowstone. I think we may go with one of those and then just try to loosely plan the highlights - and otherwise just play it by ear. Thanks again for all the suggestions, I feel less stressed out over planning it now. I'll keep reading posts and get ideas and just not stress out on trying to do it all.

You are getting good advice here, especially about staying in the park, as you plan to do, and staying several nights in one place to minimize moving hassles. Having a small cooler for lunches is a great idea. You will enjoy it all more if you plan ahead and also if you do some walking to the marvelous sights that are near but not right on the roads. For help with it all, see: http.www.yellowstonetreasures.com and its associated guidebook. Enjoy!